NextJS 13.4 - Automatic Image Optimization

Automatic Image Optimization is a built-in feature in Next.js that automatically optimizes images on your website for performance. When you add an image to your Next.js project, Next.js will automatically resize and compress the image to the appropriate size and format based on the user's device and browser.

This means that users will receive the best image quality and performance possible based on their device, without any extra work on your part. For example, if a user is browsing your site on a mobile device with a smaller screen size, Next.js will automatically serve a smaller version of the image that is optimized for mobile devices.

This feature can significantly improve page load times and overall user experience, as it reduces the amount of data that needs to be downloaded to display your images. It also helps ensure that your images look great on all devices, regardless of screen size or resolution.

Overall, Automatic Image Optimization is a powerful feature that makes it easy to deliver optimized images to your users, without any extra work or configuration needed on your part.

Let's understand this briefly by diving into the coding aspect

First, you will need to import the Image component from Next.js:

import Image from 'next/image';

Then, you can use the Image component to display an image in your application. When you provide an image URL to the src prop of the Image component, Next.js will automatically optimize the image based on the device and browser of the user. Here is an example:

function MyPage() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome to My Page</h1>
      <Image
        src="/images/my-image.jpg"
        alt="My Image"
        width={500}
        height={500}
      />
    </div>
  );
}

In this example, Next.js will automatically optimize the image located at /images/my-image.jpg based on the device and browser of the user. The width and height props specify the desired display size of the image in pixels.

Next.js will also generate multiple versions of the image at different sizes and resolutions, and will automatically serve the appropriate version of the image to the user based on their device and browser. This can significantly improve the performance of your application, as it reduces the amount of data that needs to be downloaded to display your images.

Overall, the automatic image optimization feature in Next.js 13.4 makes it easy to deliver optimized images to your users, without any extra work or configuration needed on your part.